Academic Leadership Fellow
Job Description: Academic Leadership Fellow
Background
Libertas School of Memphis is a Montessori, liberal arts public charter elementary school serving a high-need neighborhood in Memphis. Our mission is to be a school for human flourishing: cultivating minds, hands, and hearts for lives of wonder, work, and love. We offer students from preschool through fifth grade a rich, rigorous, and personalized education through Montessori learning, supported with rich liberal arts content through Core Knowledge, and the best practices of high-performing urban schools. This work is done within an attachment village of supports between school, families, and our community.
Role Summary: Provide leadership and support for our curriculum, data, academic systems, and teacher preparation initiatives. This is a 1 to 2 year fellowship for an experienced educator with a background in standards-based academics who wants to complement and support Montessori learning. The Fellow will gain significant experience in curriculum development and academic program leadership, and this fellowship is designed for a teacher who would like to prepare for a future school or program leadership role. Montessori certification is not required, but qualified applicants will have an interest in the Montessori pedagogy and will develop an understanding of Montessori by auditing our Montessori training.
Role Information
- Full-time role. School hours roughly 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM. Faculty meetings on Wednesdays until 4:30. Regular leadership, coaching, or academic meetings outside of school hours.
- The role primarily follows the school calendar, but requires 2-4 additional weeks of work in the summer for planning (compensated separately). The Fellow is also expected to audit some portions of our Montessori training.
- Reports to: Dean of Academics
- Key relationships: Principal, Montessori Residency Program Manager, Consulting Teachers, Lead Teachers, & Assistant Teachers
Measures of Success
- 85% satisfaction among stakeholders with curriculum, assessments, professional development, coaching, program management, etc.
- On-time and in-compliance completion of gradebook reporting, report cards, family conferences, and testing (NWEA MAP, TNReady, etc.)
- Development of curriculum and assessment materials that meet quality standards (e.g. Louisiana Believes curriculum guidelines)
- Fidelity of implementation of and student progress through curriculum
- Student growth and progress on published school metrics (e.g. internal assessments, gradebook, PreK/K Portfolio, Elementary Transition Checklist, MAP, TN Ready, etc)
- Satisfactory performance evaluations
- Other indicators
Key Responsibilities
Academic Data Systems
- Collect, organize, and analyze academic data and support teachers’ use of data for planning and reflection.
- Manage, maintain, and optimize academic data systems (e.g. gradebook, report cards, individual student schedules, etc.)
- Coordinate regular collection and submission of academic data (e.g. grades, progress monitoring, etc.)
- Produce quarterly Report Cards. Produce Progress Reports as requested.
- Work with Testing Coordinator to develop a comprehensive testing plan and facilitate the administration of all required tests including NWEA MAP (three times per year), TNReady, TNReady-Alt, MSAA, and WIDA ACCESS for ELLs
Montessori Residency Program Support
- Support our Arete Montessori Residency program manager with program planning, logistics, grant reporting, and compliance reporting.
Curriculum and Assessment
- Support the Dean of Academics and Principal in our academic alignment efforts by monitoring, evaluating, and adapting our Montessori-based, state standards-aligned roadmap of curriculum and assessment.
- Support the coordination and administration of aligned assessments and curricula with an emphasis on math, reading, writing, and science. Potential projects may include:
- Evaluate and adapt the ongoing work of aligning our Math Seminar and Montessori canon lessons
- Improve our backwards-designed scope and sequence of Montessori lessons
- Review and enhance the alignment of our Montessori curriculum with Tennessee science standards
- Support the creation and implementation of interdisciplinary thematic units that incorporate a broad range of Montessori subject areas
- Review and revise our writing instruction sequence and pacing guide
- Support teachers in understanding and implementing our curriculum.
- Produce aligned academic materials for classroom use.
- Participate in developing and implementing training and ongoing collaboration for teachers.
Other Duties
- Be a model of character and strive toward virtue for students.
- Serve as classroom staff on an as-needed basis when teachers are absent.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications and Traits
- At least three years of effective teaching experience with elementary or middle school children in public schools in underserved communities
- High capacity for and consistent follow-through on complex organizational projects
- Deep knowledge of elementary curriculum content, state assessments, and state standards, including an understanding of the progression and coherence of standards across grade levels and subjects (especially in math and writing)
- Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills
- Exceptional classroom management skills and instructional practices
- Understanding of children’s developmental needs
- Willing to serve all children, regardless of background or needs, in an inclusive and supportive setting
- Interest in and commitment to Montessori and liberal arts, although Montessori certification is not required
- Bachelor’s degree required and Tennessee teaching license strongly preferred
- Love of learning
- Flexibility, initiative, and personal responsibility to work in fast-paced, startup environment
- Fortitude for the challenges we will face
- Warm and firm demeanor
- Work collaboratively, with a growth mindset. Give and receive feedback in a spirit of craftsmanship.
Compensation
- Salary/wage competitive with compensation for experienced lead teachers in local school district and nearby charter schools.
- Eligible for increases for performance or stipends for additional duties.
- Investment in faculty professional development and growth. We also offer to eligible applicants our Teacher Residency program, which provides financial sponsorship and additional coaching and support to achieve state licensure and/or Montessori certification. Please contact us for more details.
- Paid sick leave. Deferred pay model distributes salary throughout the year (including breaks and vacations).
- Full time employees are eligible for health insurance benefits, which we sponsor at an above-market rate (approx. 80% covered by employer for all levels of coverage). We also offer dental, vision, and other benefits, and retirement plans similar to local schools.
Application process
Interested candidates should apply online at www.LibertasMemphis.org, where candidates can also learn more about our school. Please submit a resume, at least three references, and a cover letter (required) explaining why you would be a good fit for this position. Please direct any questions to hr@LibertasMemphis.org. Libertas does not discriminate based on race, color, gender, handicap, age, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
